So I bought the car. I ended up getting a 2013 Toyota 4Runner which is what I've been looking at the past year. Received $7,100 for my 2007 Ford Escape trade in so I ended putting $6,000 down instead of $5,000 in cash. (Don't ask me why but $13K was somehow my magic #). Toyota Credit approved me for $27,000 financing with 4% interest. This was after they initally offered me 8% and I told them I was walking. Thanks to all of you for your advice since I would have accepted 8% interest and not tried to go any lower thinking I couldn't qualify. The auto dealer pulled my credit at 653.
Starting Score: 625
@thebosh wrote:So I bought the car. I ended up getting a 2013 Toyota 4Runner which is what I've been looking at the past year. Received $7,100 for my 2007 Ford Escape trade in so I ended putting $6,000 down instead of $5,000 in cash. (Don't ask me why but $13K was somehow my magic #). Toyota Credit approved me for $27,000 financing with 4% interest. This was after they initally offered me 8% and I told them I was walking. Thanks to all of you for your advice since I would have accepted 8% interest and not tried to go any lower thinking I couldn't qualify. The auto dealer pulled my credit at 653.
Very well done!
Looks like I was able to help, glad to do so 
How did you do price wise on the car? Did you buy any extra's?
I went for the Limited edition so it came with heated leather seats, navigation system, backup camera, and 3 yrs of Entune thorugh Toyota along with a few more perks. I did buy the extra 4 yr warranty on top of the three year warranty that came with the car which after a couple negotiatons, the dealer charged me $300 / per year - original was $400 per year. I didn't go for the gap coverage, credit life, or disability. i work in insurance so I already knew those options rarely paid out - hence how the dealer maks additional revenue.
With all options priced in, mfr pricing was $39,000, dealer pricing was $42,000 and I got it for $40,000 and some odd dollars. Where I live, they don't carry too many 4Runners. They had maybe 6 total on the lot so not a lot of room to decrease price.
@thebosh wrote:With all options priced in, mfr pricing was $39,000, dealer pricing was $42,000 and I got it for $40,000 and some odd dollars. Where I live, they don't carry too many 4Runners. They had maybe 6 total on the lot so not a lot of room to decrease price.
So, you paid over MSRP and bought a warranty?
Again, congrats on the car and rate
That's some really good advice. Making the decision to buy a car is a learning experience. You don't always get it right the first time but it helps when you do. I recently purchased a used 2011 Hyundai Accent like five months ago and I went in with a preapproval letter from Chase at $11k for 60 months at 4.9%. I actually ended up getting a better deal with the dealership b/c I knew what kind of offer I deserved with the type of credit that I had. So I ended up getting approved by Hyundai Motor Finance at the same rate but with some added protections such as GAP (canceled) and repair advantage (4 year maintenance). My car buying experience was smooth but then again, I was the only person in the dealership at the time Best of luck in your future endeavors.